GIS - 28 September, 2016: It is imperative to think about new sustainable policy solutions and decisions in view of taking full advantage of the opportunities of the digital and green revolution in a fast changing world driven by technology.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and lands and Acting Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Mr. Showkutally Soodhun, made this statement yesterday while opening a two-day workshop on “Future of Work Initiative” organised by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the Cyber Tower 1, Ebène, Cybercity.

According to VPM Soodhun, the world is entering in an era of flexible firm, smart work place and virtual workplace where new technology, automation and mechanisation will share a larger part in the future initiatives. Hence, he underlined the need for government, the business community, civil society and individuals to adapt to the imminent changes and challenges which he said hold great promises for future prosperity and job creation.

On this score, he reiterated Government’s belief in people’s empowerment and in its workforce,in adopting new policy options to support the most vulnerable groups and to ensure fair and equal treatment for all so as to bring Mauritius to the next level of development.

He also emphasised the need to understand and respond effectively to new challenges arising out of the major changes taking place in the world of work while underlining the importance of the workshop which is to invite the widest possible engagement in, and contributions to, the reflection on the future of work.

VPM Soodhun recalled that as a small island developing state, Mauritius has to embrace the changes in its labour market and added that in challenging situations and times of transitions, there is need for more protection and better options for our people.

The future of work depends to a large extent on how we prepare our present workforce to face the challenges of evolution in the labour market. We need to craft appropriate active labour market policies in order to make our labour force more productive and sustainable, he concluded.

The two-day tripartite workshop which is being attended by the various stakeholders evolving in the world of work namely representatives of Employer’s, Worker’s, Government and the Private sector is serving as platform for the participants to discuss and come up with concrete solutions to address the challenges on the Future of Work.

It will be recalled that the Future of Work Initiative is one among the initiatives of the ILO to ensure that job created in the next decades will be decent and sustainable. The deliberations will serve towards the preparation of a world report on the future of work to be issued at the General Assembly of the ILO in 2019 in the context of the centenary of the ILO since its setting up in 1919.